Understand

Kitchener and Waterloo were pioneered by Mennonites from Pennsylvania, Cambridge by British, principally Scots, in the early 19th century. Once named Berlin, Kitchener was re-named in 1916, during World War I, after British military hero Lord Kitchener. Since the 1950's when Waterloo attained city status, Kitchener and Waterloo have been known as the "Twin Cities", "K-W", or "Kitchener-Waterloo". Increasingly, Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge (a 1970s merger of the older City of Galt with the neighbouring Towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the village of Blair) are being referred to collectively as the "Tri-Cities".

Immigration, beginning with Germans and Central Europeans in the 19th century and continuing to the present from Central and South America, the Near East, Far East and Asia have created a broad-based multi-cultural population. Kitchener and Waterloo, in 'North Waterloo' exhibit a strong German heritage, celebrated most notably in their 9-day Oktoberfest, [18] the largest outside of Munich. Cambridge, in 'South Waterloo', has a sizeable Portuguese population, from the Azores, and a large constituency of Newfoundlanders, relocated from Belle Isle, Newfoundland, in the 1960s.

Get in

By car

Highway 401 runs along Kitchener's southern border. Kitchener is located one hour west of Toronto, one hour east of London, three hours east of Windsor/Detroit. If coming from Toronto, take exit 278A (Highway 8). At the Highway 7 and King Street exit, exit King Street to downtown Kitchener. If coming from London, take exit 278 (King Street), then take Highway 8 east to the King Street exit as above.

By air

Waterloo Region International Airport [19] is served by Delta [20] with three flights a day to Detroit, WestJet [21] with one flight a day to Calgary and Bearskin Airlines [22] with three flights each business day to Ottawa. Most air travel to Kitchener comes through Toronto Pearson International Airport [23] in the north-west corner of Toronto. Ground transportation between Kitchener and Pearson is operated by Airways Transit [24] who operate door-to-door services as well as scheduled minibus services from several large hotels in Kitchener, Airways Transit services are, however, prohibitively expensive, to the point that a taxi is significantly cheaper for two or more people. Another, much cheaper option for people traveling alone is to take the Greyhound coach to downtown Toronto and then take the Pacific Western [25] airport coach to the airport, however this can take significantly longer depending on traffic.

By rail

VIA Rail [26] runs between Kitchener and Toronto, Guelph, London, and Sarnia; the train station is located at 126 Weber St. W, near the corner of Victoria St. in the northeast corner of downtown. Via runs three trains a day in each direction.

By coach

Greyhound [27] runs regular commuter coaches between downtown Kitchener and Toronto, stopping on the site of the former Sportsworld amusement park on the border of Kitchener and Cambridge, some coaches to Toronto also run to the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. Greyhound also runs coaches to London and Guelph. Coach Canada runs regular coaches from Kitchener to Hamilton and Niagara Falls. The bus terminal in Kitchener is located in the centre of downtown, one block from city hall, on Charles Street, between Ontario and Gaukel Streets, however the main terminal for Greyhound is a temporary inflatable structure on the Sportsworld Drive site, tickets can be bought at that location or outside on the platforms of the downtown site, parcels can only be picked up or deposited at Sportsworld.

Get around

By car

By car, with a local map: where other cities are laid out more or less on a grid Kitchener streets are not, rather follow their own complex patterns with frequent twists and turns, many continuing into adjoining Waterloo.

Likewise, street directions are designated E, W, N, and S, but only one major cross street, Lancaster Street East/West, is true to the compass (running, oddly enough, straight north/south). King, Weber and Westmount are the principal EW streets in Kitchener (at Union Street, they become King, Weber and Westmount in Waterloo, where they are designated N/S). Queen, Frederick, Ottawa and Victoria, are the principal NS cross-streets.

There is a an express route, known locally as the Conestoga Parkway, but not signed as such, which loops traffic on Highways 7&8 traffic through Kitchener South and Highway 85 traffic through Waterloo North.

Addresses number EW from Queen, NS from King.

The centre of the city, known as downtown, is divided into four neighborhoods:

Warehouse District at the north end of downtown, full of disused factories, many of which are now being converted into loft condominiums or offices.

Downtown Core, the centre of downtown, contains city hall and a large number of other sights, as well as many office buildings, shops and restaurants.

Civic Centre, contains many public buildings, including the public library, the police station and the Centre in the Square concert hall.

East End, contains many small shops and inexpensive restaurants as well as the Kitchener Market.

By public transportation

Kitchener as a whole has a poor (though improving) public transit system, although most centrally located sights can be reached without much difficulty. The route 7 bus is the city's main line and comes every 7 - 10 minutes. The 7 can be taken from almost anywhere on King St. south of the intersection of King and University Ave. in Waterloo. Something that can be confusing is that there are three different 7 routes, the 7c, 7d, 7e; they all run the same route until the intersection of King and University, the 7c runs to Conestoga Mall at the north end of Waterloo, the 7d travels to the University of Waterloo through the most direct route, along University and the 7e runs to the University of Waterloo along Columbia, on the north end of the campus. To the south, all 7s run to Fairview Park Mall, no matter the letter.

There is also an Express service between Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge known as the iXpress. It runs a similar route to that of the 7, beginning at Conestoga Mall and stopping at the University of Waterloo, Uptown Waterloo, Downtown Kitchener, Fairview Park Mall, Cambridge Centre Mall and Downtown Galt among other places.

The bus fare is $2.50 which allows for travel for up to 90 minutes, if you intend to connect to another route, ask the driver for transfer when you pay your fare. A detailed map of all routes in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge can be purchased at a variety of locations for $2 or downloaded for free from Grand River Transit. Students of University of Waterloo and/or Wilfrid Laurier University do not need to pay cash fare if they flash their University-issued Student ID (WatCard for University of Waterloo; OneCard for Wilfrid Laurier) as long as the expiry date on the card has not elapsed. These students have already paid for bus services through non-refundable fees on their fees statement.

See

Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower, 300 Lookout Lane (From King St. E., take Deer Ridge Dr. to Lookout Lane). A tower built in 1925 to commemorate the pioneers who first settled in this area in 1800, the first inland settlement in Upper Canada. A national historic site.

Victoria Park. Beautiful park in downtown. The park was designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmstead, the same firm that designed Central Park in New York City. The park contains a large lake, a magnificent clock tower taken from the old city hall when it was demolished, a statue of Queen Victoria and a small restaurant that plays host to many musical acts among other things. The main entrance to the park, which was recently redesigned, is at the end of Gaukel St., only two blocks from city hall.

Kitchener City Hall, 200 King St. W. An attractive, post-modern building located in the centre of downtown. There is a cafeteria located on the top floor of the tower.

Cultural Items

Centre in the Square, 101 Queen St. N, [28]. This is the venue where the K-W Symphony performs, and is also where Broadway touring companies perform. Located in the Civic Centre neighborhood of downtown, beside the Kitchener Library. The hall was built to be large enough to perform Wagnerian opera, and seats approximately 2000 in a lovely setting with a very nice acoustic.

Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., 519-745-6565, [29]. A small theatre providing inexpensive performances by small theatre groups. Located in the Civic Centre next to the police station and behind the library.

Theatre & Company, 36 King St. W., 519-571-0928, [30]. A medium sized theatre located in the centre of downtown. It is next to the Waterloo Region Children's Museum and across the street from the Walper Terrace Hotel. The theatre complex itself, called the King Street Theatre, often is the venue for other events than just Theatre & Company's events.

Children's Museum, 10 King St. W., 519-749-9387, [31]. An extremely fun museum for children of all ages, also plays host to child related events. Located in the centre of downtown, across the street from the Walper Terrace Hotel and next to Theatre & Company.

Public Utilities Building, a beautiful, early 20th century building on King St., across the street from the city hall; the former Public Utilities Building now houses the Kitchener - Waterloo Tourism Centre [35], a great place to find information on city events.

Do

Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, [36]. Bavarian festival held annually in October; is the largest in the world outside of Munich, Germany.

Walter Bean Trail, [1]. A trail for hiking and bicycling that, when complete, will run along the Grand River through Kitchener, as well as Waterloo and part of Cambridge.

Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, 137 Ontario Street North (The Gig Theatre), [2]. The one and only film festival for animated feature films from around the world. Takes place in mid-November.

Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, East Ave., [3]. The home of the Kitchener Rangers, an OHL (major junior hockey) team, "The Aud" often hosts other special events.

open ears festival of music & sound, Downtown Kitchener, ☎1-888-363-3591, [4]. A diverse, week-long, multi-venue music festival that has something for everyone. International musicians converge to treat festival goers to all manner of fascinating sounds and sights. From grand scale orchestral performances at the Centre in the Square to sound installations to intimate late-night experimental performances, the festival provides entertaining and interesting fare for the open-minded music lover. Festival passes, individual performance tickets and free shows are available.$0-$220.

Buy

Fairview Park Mall, 2960 Kingsway Dr., [37]. The largest shopping centre in the region. It is located in the southern part of Kitchener and is a 10-20 minute bus ride from downtown. To get to the mall by bus from downtown take either any route 7 or iXpress bus headed south.

Kitchener Market, [38]. Farmer's market held on Wednesday and Saturday mornings in a new building at the south end of downtown, about a 10 minute walk from City Hall and the bus station. There is also a food court made up of multi-cultural restaurants which is open every weekday. One local radio station, CJDV ("Dave FM") has a studio in the market, though they more often broadcast from their studio in Cambridge.

Belmont Village, Belmont Ave. (between Glasgow and Union Sts.). This three-block section of Belmont Street is lined with storefronts, giving it a small-town feel. Here you will find a few antique stores, a few flower shops, and several niche stores, as well as other businesses. Bus 8 (via Westmount) runs from the bus station downtown to the University of Waterloo, running through Belmont Village.

The Catacombs (King & Ontario Cross Streets), 37 King St. West (beside Peter Martin's 20King and TD Bank), [6]. The largest music memorabilia shop in the region. Thousands of t-shirts, sweatshirts and even baby clothes from just about any rock, metal or punk band you can think of.

Verses fine dining, 182 Victoria Street North, 519-744-0144, [40]. A "Metropolitan" dining experience in this former church. Attention to detail in the food and service.

Taste of the Philly Cheesesteak, 98 King Street West (Quick walk right down King St), ☎(519) 743-4400, [8]. Sandwich shop with burgers and wraps, made fresh in front of you.Giant burgers from $5.99.

Terrace Cafe, 1 King St West (Bus 7 to Queen Street), ☎(519) 745-4321, [9]. Mon-Fri 7.30-14; Sat-Sun 8-14. This the Walper Terrace's hotel restaurant and is only open for breakfast and lunch.Entrees around $10.

Matter of Taste, 119 King St West, ☎(519) 579-7059, [10]. Great place for specialty coffee, lattes, and desserts. Relaxed atmosphere, a good place to meet up with and enjoy a conversation.

Ye's Sushi, 103 King St. W, (519) 568-7566. The biggest chained restaurant in the region with all-you-can-eat sushi, Ye's has a large selection of sushis and other oriental cuisine. All-you-can-eat is $12.99 at lunch and $19.99 at dinner. The restaurant is located on King St in the heart of downtown between Gaukel and Ontario Sts. A second location is located at the NorthWest intersection of King St & Northfield, and is a short walk North of Conestoga Mall.

Drink

See Nightlife, the weekly entertainment supplement published Thursdays by The Record, the area's daily newspaper, for its calendar of what's on in clubs, concerts, movies, stage, art, and kids stuff.

Sleep

The Frederick Street Inn, 230 Frederick St., [13]. Just steps from the city's core, business section, and theatre. This century home was once the home of Aaron Bricker, mayor of Berlin (1905–1906) and has been renovated to reflect its original charm with modern convenience. This bed and breakfast has three guest rooms.

Walper Terrace Hotel, 1 King St. W., [14]. Located right in the middle of downtown Kitchener on a site that has been the site of a hotel since 1820, this historic hotel dates back to 1893. Its guests have included Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bob Hope, and Louis Armstrong. All of the hotel's 79 luxury guest rooms were renovated in 2002 and feature modern amenities such as wireless high speed Internet.

Delta Hotel, 105 King St East (Bus 7 to Frederick Street), ☎519-744-4141, [15]. This is downtown Kitchener's only major chain hotel and has a heated indoor pool.

Get out

Kitchener is one of three cities in Waterloo Region. Visit Waterloo to the north or Cambridge to the south. It is also a great base for exploring the surrounding countryside, the towns of New Hamburg, St. Jacobs and Elora are all within easy driving distance.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!